ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — In a state where voters are increasingly calling for tighter restrictions on housing developments, a new proposal has been submitted in Tallahassee to help developers sidestep local control altogether.
SB 354, commonly referred to as the “Blue Ribbon Projects” bill, establishes a set of rules that developers must follow if their property meets specific criteria. In exchange, it would essentially force the local county or municipal board to rubber-stamp the approval of the development regardless of a community’s feelings toward it.
To be considered a “Blue Ribbon Project,” the development must be greater than 10,000 acres and located near a highway interchange, rail line, or airport.
Projects developed under the bill would need to set aside 60% of the land for reserve and be comprised of mixed-use, walkable neighborhoods. Housing cannot consist entirely of single-family homes. 20% of the housing must be affordable.
The layout of reserve land must also take into consideration protected lands like the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
The bill has already raised several flags in Orange County, which has been engaged in a battle over the future development of the Mormon-owned Deseret Ranch for several years.
“This is the one the Deseret Ranch folks have been hinting at for several years now,” an internal note from county staff members said. “Unsurprisingly, the qualifying criteria for these ‘Blue Ribbon Projects’ appears tailored almost exclusively to their massive land holdings in southeast Orange County.”
The bill filing comes a little more than a year after Deseret filed to annex into the City of Orlando, to get around the implementation of Orange County’s voter-approved rural boundary that restricts development in the county’s far-flung regions.
The annexation request was removed after Orlando and Orange County leaders struck a deal over the adjacent Sunbridge property, which is being developed into a sister community to Lake Nona.
It’s not clear why Marion County Sen. Stan McClain filed the Blue Ribbon Projects bill. McClain’s staff ignored multiple interview requests to discuss his proposal.
However, it came weeks before a Ft. Myers-based lawmaker asked the Florida Attorney General’s staff to weigh in on Orange and Seminole counties’ rural boundaries.
In a letter dated Tuesday, the AG’s staff wrote that they viewed the boundary lines as illegal under Florida law because they restrict the ability of landowners to do what they want with their own properties.
Seminole County’s rural boundary was enacted decades ago and remains relatively uncontroversial.
The state senator who made the request has not yet filed any bills that would hint at why he is interested in regulations well outside his jurisdiction.
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